Tuesday, June 16, 2009

More Medika Mamba Graduates at RHFH Rescue Center

Nikenson

Evenson

Ogeste

To graduate, the child reaches the weight that is considered the median weight for their age and gender - these weight standards are set by the World Health Organization. (WHO)

For those that may not know, the swelling you may notice in many before photos is called Kwashiorkor. (Look at Evenson's legs in this post or on the top left side of the blog, notice Renald's feet.) It is mainly caused by a poor diet with little to no protein in it. It looks less shocking than a child who is skin and bones but this form of malnutrition is very dangerous. The prognosis is better for kids who have not yet developed kwashiorkor.

This is what wisegeek.com says about it ... Kwashiorkor is a disease which appears to be caused through severe malnutrition, and it primarily impacts children. It is most common in developing nations, where famine conditions can bring about the disease.

The disease was first identified and described in the 1930s in Ghana. The word kwashiorkorcomes from the Ga language, which is widely spoken in many parts of Ghana. It literally means “one who is physically displaced,” a reference to the fact that the disease emerges in children who have just been weaned off of breast milk. When the disease is not immediately addressed, it can cause severe disabilities. If left untreated, kwashiorkor can lead to death.

Who we are...

To Reach Us: Livesayfamily@gmail.com - We live, learn, love, & work in Port au Prince, Haiti. In the twelve years we've been here, one thing we've learned: God is not made manifest in our ability to "fix" or heal, but in our need to be healed. Recognizing this weakness leaves us in a position of having little to offer. It reveals our own need to be restored. We are not fixers of people or things. We are here trying to extend love and grace to others, the way it has been extended to us.

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships - so that we may live deep within our hearts. May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people - so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war - so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in the world - so that we can do what others claim cannot be done, to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor. Amen. (Franciscan Benediction)

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